The Royal Regiment of Artillery were stationed at Shirley’s Heights from 1780 to 1854, most of the time the British army were here. Artillery men were responsible for firing and maintaining the great guns of the forts, and also for signalling. They did this with a series of coloured flags flown from flag staffs spread throughout the island. General Shirley wrote to Lord Germain on 22 August 1871: ‘Their signals for communicating notice of an Enemy are so judiciously arranged that the while islands is sufficiently alarmed in less than a quarter of an hour, and assistance may be sent to the part of it which may attacked in a very short time.’
A selection of Royal Artillery buttons are displayed on the upper floor of the museum. Some were found at Shirley Heights.
Images
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Contribute an Image